Bobrovsky can't save Flyers in Classic loss (With Video)

PHILADELPHIA -- When gathering for postmortems of the Winter Classic, many discussions will center on what was learned from the fifth edition of the NHL's midseason celebration of hockey.

And of all the things that may have been gleaned, there is one item that is instantly apparent: The difference this season between the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers is in goal.

Henrik Lundqvist comes up big when the Rangers need him; the Flyers don't quite have a goalie with the same wherewithal.

And in so many ways, that is classic in and of itself. Classic Flyers, that is.

Instead of talking about Tolstoy and Rasputin like the highest-paid goaltender in the NHL was a day earlier, Lundqvist went about his business and made 34 saves --- none bigger than stopping Danny Briere on a penalty shot with 20 seconds to play, preserving a 3-2 Rangers victory in front of a capacity crowd at Citizens Bank Park.

Meanwhile, Sergei Bobrovsky, who earned his start while $51-million dollar man Ilya Bryzgalov was worrying about the size of the universe and the tea in his thermos, made 30 saves. But he allowed a brutal goal early in the third period that allowed the Rangers to tie the score and steal the momentum the Flyers had spent the first 40 minutes building.

That's why the Rangers (24-9-4, 52 points) are in first place in the Atlantic Division and the Flyers (22-11-4, 48 points) are not. The Rangers have defeated the Flyers in each of the three meetings this season and have a combined four goals against Lundqvist.

"That could be a common thread," noted Flyers coach Peter Laviolette. "We talked about getting better traffic in front of him and we'll continue to work on that, but I don't think it was because we didn't compete."

Far from it, for the Flyers were certainly the better team through the first two periods. They dominated puck possession, and a lot of that had to do with their faceoff success, which was clicking at 61 percent through 40 minutes.

But Lundqvist kept the game scoreless through one period, making 12 stops. Although Brayden Schenn and Claude Giroux staked the Flyers to a two-goal lead by scoring less than two minutes apart in the second period, there was nothing else the Flyers could get past Lundqvist.

"I had to catch myself because a couple of times I was too relaxed out there," Lundqvist said. "There were a couple of times I was too excited. I had to find the right balance."

After Schenn scored on a rebound and Giroux bested him with a nifty forehand-to-backhand move, Lundqvist was as balanced as a carpenter's level.

In the interim, his Rangers teammates --- specifically fourth-line center Mike Rupp --- found some cracks in Bobrovsky's defense and were able to get back into the game.

Rupp tallied his first goal --- and just his second this season -- 30 seconds after Giroux when he snapped a shot from near the blue line over Bobrovsky's glove to make it 2-1.

Rupp saluted the Flyers' bench, mocking Jaromir Jagr's goal celebration. Jagr never had a chance to answer, as he sat out the final 35-plus minutes of the game dealing with a left calf injury he suffered in Pittsburgh.

Rupp then turned the tide when he took a weak shot from along the boards that somehow squeezed through Bobrovsky to tie the score at 2:41 of the third period.

"In general I wasn't bad, but it's too bad I made (that) mistake," Bobrovsky said through an interpreter. "He shot it, and it went under my arm. Yes, it was (a turning point)."

The play appeared to be offside, but the linesman didn't make the call and Bobrovsky couldn't make the big stop --- unlike Lundqvist.

"It was tough," Laviolette said. "I thought he played a strong game. He'd probably like another crack at that one, but he seemed steady and confident in there. The goal set us back a little bit ... it was tough for our team."

From there, the Rangers were out-hustling the Flyers, and the final blow came when Brad Richards banked home a backdoor rebound of a Brandon Dubinsky shot to put the Rangers ahead to stay.

The Flyers struggled to get the puck through the Rangers, who were taking advantage of ice conditions by just dumping the puck behind the Flyers defense repeatedly and sitting back to take away the neutral zone.

However, the Flyers got a chance on the power play when Ryan McDonagh was called for delay of game when he knocked the goal off its moorings.

The Flyers didn't score with the man advantage but started gaining momentum again. In the final minute of play, with Bobrovsky pulled, they were swarming around Lundqvist.

With about 20 seconds left, it looked as if Danny Briere's poke at the puck was going to go into the net, but McDonagh dove across the crease and covered the puck with his hand, resulting in a penalty shot.

Laviolette could have chosen anyone on the ice to shoot, and selected Briere instead of Giroux. Briere tried to beat Lundqvist to the five-hole, but the Rangers' goalie was equal to the task.

"All I was thinking was 'this game is going overtime,'" Briere said. "I could see it going in. Unfortunately, he made the save. I tried to surprise him with a quick, low shot but he's one of the best on breakaways in the league. It's frustrating and disappointing."

He could have been referring to that one play. He could have been referring to losing the Winter Classic. Or he could have been referring to facing a team with a reliable goalie situation, unlike his own.